Sins of the Father
by Evil-Wild-Lex
Summary: The action heats up as Chun Li discovers a spy within the Interpol organization! What will happen? Read and find out. (then please review ^^)
1. The Hunt is On

Obligatory disclaimer: I did not create Street Fighter II, or any of the game's characters. Obviously. Street Fighter II is the property of Capcom. 

Part 1: Choices and Discoveries

by Evil Wild Lex

France

The night was calm; the only clash to be seen was that of dark against light. The dark blue, almost black sky blanketed the world, but the softly glowing stars and the man-made lights below fought valiantly against it. It was a quiet struggle in an otherwise still night. A few people were still awake and walking the streets of the cities, bundled in warm winter coats to shield themselves from the cold. Most, however, were nestled comfortably in their beds while the gentle fall of snow caressed the ground. A similarly peaceful atmosphere could be found in the countryside, in the extremely few unpopulated areas of France. A faint wind rustled the trees, while animals that hibernated for the winter slept without disturbance. 

The tranquility spread even to a place where people were normally rigidly alert every hour of the day. Even France's Interpol facility had surrendered to the sweet temptation to rest. That would prove to be a mistake. Taking advantage of the lax security, a slim form dressed entirely in black darted almost silently through the long hallways. The ebony-clad figure paused before going around corners. Security might be lax, but that didn't mean there wasn't any night staff around to interfere with possible plans. Nobody could be aware of what was going on until it was too late for anything to be done about it. 

The pause continued as one of the Interpol staff on the night shift meandered through the hallways, only at the facility at this hour because someone was required to be there at all times. The gruff man grumbled about having to take this shift without any decent coffee being around to keep him awake. He barely even glanced down the hallway the darkly clothed individual occupied before continuing on his own way. The pause continued for another couple of seconds before the determined person progressed towards the most heavily guarded area of the entire building to liberate someone who had lived in captivity for his entire life.

The next few motions went so quickly that no normal human, no matter how finely tuned his or her reflexes were, could have found the time to act in retaliation. First, an expertly thrown knife was launched through a security camera, taking it offline. Next on the agenda were the two armed men standing guard over the person who was to be freed. They stood only ten feet from each other, on either side of the heavily enforced cell/sleeping quarters of the prisoner. The black-clad figure soundlessly snuck up to the nearest one, and delivered a chop to the side of his neck that knocked him out instantly. A second after the taller of the two men heard the smacking noise of the effective attack being executed, he turned around to see his co-worker slump over unconscious. The two seconds he took to stare at the crumpled form of his fellow guard were two seconds two late for him to even see the same attack coming at him. His knees buckled an instant after the hand drove into his neck like a knife, and he too fell, helpless.

Keys were taken from their possession, and after a minute of figuring out which key went into each of the several heavy duty locks, the titanium door was quietly swung open.

"Spartacus, wake up." A young man, roughly seventeen to nineteen years old, stirred at sound of his name. He opened his white, pupiless eyes, and turned to face the darkly clothed person in the doorway. He prepared to attack. 

"It's me," the familiar voice said irritably. "Don't even think about it if you want to get out of here, Spartacus." 

"What are you doing, Athena?" the teenager demanded of his half sister. She casually took her black hat off, revealing dark red hair she'd pinned up.

"What can I say? I got sick of Interpol making decisions for me and thought you might feel the same way." As she spoke, she dragged the smaller of the two men into the room. He was only 5'8", two inches taller than herself. His clothing wouldn't fit perfectly, but it would do. Without hesitation, she removed his coat, shirt, belt, pants, and shoes, while Spartacus dragged the taller of the two men into the cell as well.

Athena didn't bother changing, and instead pulled the uniform on over her form-fitting black outfit to give herself a little more bulk. She kept her back to Spartacus as he made a costume change. A few minutes later, the siblings stepped out of the cell and locked the two guards inside. After shoving her hand casually into the pocket of her new pants, Athena discovered that their previous owner had kept sunglasses in them, presumably for driving. She passed them over to Spartacus to hide his distinctive white eyes. 

"We're going to leave through one of the ordinary exits," she instructed in a whisper. "Just walk past anyone you see like nothing's going on." Spartacus was clearly excited to be finally free, and she could feel little jolts of his power threatening to escape, but he understood the necessity to keep under control, just for now.

The pair walked casually but quickly through the halls, as though they were young guards who were just finishing their shifts, and eager to go to a nice warm pub for a drink before going home. For the most part, they didn't run into anybody. Staff was mainly here at night because they were required to be; so that someone would be around in the rare chance something went wrong. As nothing had in years at this facility, the people on night shift were either grumbling about having to patrol the building, playing computer games in offices, or drinking coffee and playing cards in the staff room. 

When they were just leaving, a lanky blonde haired man in his thirties plowed past them, turning to mutter "You lucky bastards...you're going home while I have to come in and see what's wrong with the damned camera in the max security area!" After he'd gone around the corner, Spartacus and Athena increased their pace just a bit as they walked straight out of the building. As soon as he came across the camera and saw how it had been damaged, the entire building would be put on alert. They had to be long gone before that happened. 

Luckily for them, Athena had brought transportation and left it nearby before slipping into the Interpol building. A brisk walk in the cold, past the gates of the parking lot, over to where the outdoor security cameras could not see, they hopped into a rather non-descript navy blue car and drove away.

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The next day

Brazil

In a dark circular chamber filled with screens that were off at the moment, thousands of buttons, and several devices known only to a few select people twisted enough to dabble with them, one man sat. He looked as though he was in a trance, seated in an enormous and rigid chair that looked like a futuristic throne. His arms were on the armrests, and visible sparks of power coursed around them. The sturdy, firm-jawed man was in deep meditation, focusing on his memories of the past before his mind twisted and turned them until his focus became nothing but pure and raw hatred. What had been sparks of power a minute ago became waves of power surging all around his body, and the grand seat he occupied. He held onto this hatred, and let his power grow and light up the darkened room. . .

Until a sound interrupted him. The beeping of someone paging him began its intrusion faintly, then rapidly progressed until the noise was so irritating, it was maddening.

"WHAT?!" he snarled, answering the call when his concentration was completely broken.

"I'm sorry if I've interrupted anything, Master Bison," said a soft-spoken man on the other end of the phone line, "but I have some news I thought you would like to know about right away."

"Go on," Bison commanded after letting him squirm for a minute. George Clarke, also known as Pouncing Cougar to a very select few people, was not someone that would report to him unexpectedly without a very good reason. 

"First of all, let me congratulate you sir, on being the father of two strong children," Cougar began. 

"Mr. Clarke, what are you talking about?" Bison asked calmly. He wanted to see where this was going, but he wanted his faithful servant to get to the point, as well.

"In the past twenty-four hours, two people disappeared from Interpol's custody. One from a training center in Scotland, and that night, the other escaped from an Interpol facility in France. Interpol is in a panic, because those two people happen to be your biological children." Cougar paused, and let the information sink in.

"Continue," Bison instructed. "You've sparked my curiosity at the very least."

"Both of the children were created with genetic samples of yours that the British government collected in an incident quite a few years ago.... the only time you've ever been in government custody since you appeared in Shadowlaw, if I'm correct."

"Yes," Bison said curtly, not wanting to disclose anything more on the subject. He remembered the incident well enough. They'd thought him to be nothing more than a drug dealer involved with Shadowlaw at the time, and had collected quite a few sorts of samples to test if he'd been on anything at the time of questioning. It hadn't taken long before he escaped and they realized exactly whom they'd had in custody.

"The boy, Spartacus, was created first. Interpol thought that the best way to bring down Shadowlaw would be to create someone as powerful as yourself to kill you. Unfortunately for them, he turned out to be a younger version of yourself, and they found it difficult to control him. Their second experiment was Athena. One of their female agents donated an egg, and their second experiment proved to be more successful. Like Spartacus, she inherited your abilities, but nothing else."

"This is interesting," remarked the head of Shadowlaw from his chair. "But I won't have much use for children yet..." He'd been held in custody about fourteen years ago, and while he didn't know how long the procedure would take, he very much doubted either the boy or girl was over twelve years of age. There was potential, and he would certainly have them watched over.

"Actually sir, they are physically young adults. You'll find them useful immediately."

"Do you know where they are yet?"

"Interpol suspects they have gone south.... I share this suspicion. I'll report to you the instant I have more news." 

"Very good, Cougar," Bison told his spy within Interpol. "I hope to hear from you soon." 

"Yes, sir," said the agent's calm voice before the conversation was ended.

For a few minutes, Bison went over this new information. He was a father. Furthermore, his two newly discovered children seemed to have every reason to hate Interpol, and had inherited his abilities. Suffice to say, the possibilities were very pleasing indeed. A small smile quirked onto his face, and slowly contorted to become one of the full-fledged malevolent grins he was well known for. He could hardly wait for the family reunion.

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Well, that's chapter 1 of my first Street Fighter II fanfic. Don't worry, plenty of other characters will show up later on. ^^ Please review.


	2. Choices and Discoveries

Disclaimer: Street Fighter II and all of the characters within it belong to Capcom. This fanfic, as well as the created characters within it belong to me.

Part 2: The Hunt is On

by Evil Wild Lex

Interpol building, Italy

The panic of the previous day had been exhausting, with the news of the Athena and Spartacus projects escaping being one of the worst things to happen to Interpol in some time. The dark haired woman sighed. She'd been called in to help with this operation because she had personally dealt with Shadowlaw on more than one occasion, and her experience would certainly be an asset in dealing with the biological progeny of M.Bison. There was no doubt in her mind, or the mind of any experienced Interpol agent, for that matter, that Shadowlaw would discover the two. The organization had been very quiet this entire year after the damage Interpol, the American army, as well as a few talented fighters had inflicted upon it in a battle against Bison. However, that didn't mean that it didn't still exist. There was even a decent chance that Bison was still alive and in hiding somewhere, and who knew who else may have survived? It seemed that the best people, like her father, were never given a second chance to live - whereas scum like Bison and his ilk kept coming back as persistently as cockroaches.

If Bison was still alive, Chun Li Xiang vowed he wouldn't be that way for very long. There were too many atrocities he had to answer for, and he was too dangerous to be allowed to live. For what he'd done to her father, to Guile's partner, to Ken and Ryu, and to so many others, he had to die. 

Five of the best agents Interpol had would be working on this case with her, including George Clarke, from some remote area of Canada. That was relieving at least. She'd seen each of the agents in hand to hand combat training before, and each of the agents brought with them intelligence, and their own specialties. Agent Clarke had been assigned this case because of his talent for tracking people down. Chun Li hoped he'd demonstrate those tracking skills for him very soon, before Shadowlaw got hold of the two.

"Agent Xiang, I believe you would be the best one to give us a briefing on the Shadowlaw organization," Agent Clarke urged, his brown eyes focusing on her intently. "You've had the most direct experience with them, so you'd be able to explain first hand what we're up against. Agent O'Connor can brief us on the Spartacus and Athena projects." 

Chun Li nodded, and stood up. "Sure." She took a second to prepare the slide machine, then nodded to the agent nearest the light switches to turn the lights off. The first picture was a familiar face to all of the agents, a bulky black boxer by the name of Balrog. 

"This is Balrog, who as you know, was thrown out of the American boxing league for excessively violent behaviour some time ago. For years, he was involved with our organization, secretly acting as a spy for Shadowlaw all the while. About six years ago, he was discovered, but escaped our custody and spent the remaining years working with Shadowlaw. We are certain that he is alive now. Fortunately, we screen our agents much more stringently now."

As she clicked to the next slide, one of the Thai fighter, Sagat, a glint of amusement passed over Agent Clarke's face. Perhaps more stringently, but still not enough, he thought to himself. He listened while Chun Li explained about Sagat, and then clicked to a slide of Vega. She mentioned that there was a good chance that he was dead, as she'd fought him and kicked him through her wall from a high enough height that it was possible. There was still some uncertainty, though, because strong people with above average fighting talent tended to live through more ordeals than a common person. Clarke/Cougar could have quite easily clarified things, if he'd so pleased. He knew very well that Vega was alive and kicking, thinking of a cliché expression while he pretended to listen attentively to the rest of Miss Xiang's briefing. 

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Several hours later

Venice, Italy

After another hour in the meeting, Cougar had retrieved information that was quite useful for his purposes. He now had recent photos of both Spartacus and Athena, and enough information to support that the pair had decided to hide in Venice, Italy. Of course, he hadn't told everyone that he suspected Venice specifically. He had suggested Rome, Venice, and Florence, three of the country's major tourist cities, on the grounds that they could blend in much more easily as young tourists there, than in the small towns. Thusly, he and Agent O'Connor had been sent to Venice, Agent Chun Li Xiang had been sent to Rome with another agent, and the remaining two had gone to Florence to search.

He'd taken the south and eastern portions of the water-filled city, leaving the north and western portions to Agent O'Connor. Cougar had learned to obey his instincts when it came to tracking people down. He was fairly certain that the two youths had gone southwest, and wanted to direct Agent O'Connor as far away from them as possible until Bison had the chance to retrieve them. He'd checked two hotels in the area already, and none of the hotel staff had seen either Athena or Spartacus. There was a third in the area, Albergo di Lusso, "Luxury Hotel". If this one didn't turn out, he would pursue the smaller, less expensive ones. However, instinct told him that they would be there. They'd want privacy, and they'd want a big enough place that the staff wouldn't remember them if they chose not to be remembered.

It wasn't a long trip to Albergo di Lusso, and when Cougar/Agent Clarke stopped in there and flashed his Interpol identification and pictures of the two to the hotel staff, he found that his guess had been correct. The looks of recognition were all the confirmation that he needed. 

"I'm sorry Agent Clarke," said the manager, a short, stout, but well groomed man. "Those two people are here, yes, but I can't tell you which room until you show me a search warrant. We're committed to protecting the privacy of our customers."

Cougar nodded amiably. "I understand...I'll be back as soon as I find one." He passed a card to the manager. "However, if you would, please call me to let me know if and when they check out, so that I won't have to bother you any further." 

He pretended to leave the building, but in reality stayed and waited for an opportunity to get behind the front desk without being noticed. The attendant there had posted a sign that read "back in fifteen minutes". Hopefully, it would take only a couple of those minutes to figure out approximately where they were located.

A few minutes later, he'd narrowed their location down to four rooms, and decided that was the best he could do without getting caught where he wasn't supposed to be. With the grace and speed of his namesake, Cougar darted away from the front desk, and exited the hotel. He had enough information to give the master, Bison. The hunt was on.

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^^ Well, that was chapter 2. Please read and review.


	3. Family Reunion

Disclaimer: Street Fighter II and all of the characters within it belong to Capcom. This fanfic, as well as the created characters within it belong to me.

Part 3: Family Reunion

by Evil Wild Lex

Bison's Airship

Cougar's call came pleasantly soon. The airship of M. Bison had been circling Italy for two hours at this point, but he had been expecting a longer wait. Despite all appearances to the contrary, Bison could be patient when something was worth waiting for. Both he and his organization had been considerably weakened from the confrontation with the fighters, Interpol, and the American army. Many in Shadowlaw believed that he was dead, and the higher ranking amongst his servants had shed the pretense of loyalty and were competing for power against each other. 

It was because of this that Bison had forgiven the mistakes of the warriors that he had originally planned to kill for their failures. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed people like Sagat, Vega, Cammy, and Balrog in his ranks. He had re-established mental control over Cammy, and the rest came willingly to him. They would be needed quite soon, as a matter of fact. However, after he had his heirs, and made certain that they were loyal to him, he could finally come out from hiding, establish unity within the Shadowlaw organization again, and make everyone who had tried to take him down suffer mercilessly.

"They're at Albergo di Lusso, Master Bison," were the first words of Bison's new favorite agent. Short, and to the point. "I convinced Interpol to stay the night at the hotel on the bottom floor, and we'll all be staking the place out from five am onwards. I would expect that everyone will be asleep no later than one am."

"Do you know which rooms they're staying in, Cougar?" Bison inquired. This news was all fine and well, but it would NOT do to have to search through an entire hotel.

"Since we did get a search warrant, yes. Spartacus is in room 306, Athena is in room 307. I have recent photos of them for you, as well, sir. I will leave them in the overnight mailbox."

"And their abilities? Were you briefed on their extent?"

"Most of the briefing was information I'd already discovered before.... but Agent O'Connor did mention that Spartacus inherited your offensive moves, but very little of the defensive, and vice versa for Athena."

"Fine. That will be all, Cougar. You've done well." With that, he hung up, and faced Sagat, Vega and Balrog. They'd been in the room for the entire conversation, and Bison had mentioned he had need for them shortly. They waited; expectant looks on their faces. 

"Gentlemen," he began, "I have a very important task for you. Tonight, you will be needed to arrange a family reunion, of sorts."

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Albergo di Lusso, 9:00 pm

His plan made sense, but Chun Li still had a gut feeling that something was wrong here. Never mind that Cougar had found the siblings before anything serious had happened, and that Shadowlaw had yet to show up. She just didn't want to wait any longer to arrest them. It was just a gut feeling, but she felt that somehow, Shadowlaw would find them, and then the real trouble would start. But perhaps she was being paranoid, as the other agents seemed to think. After all, they had gotten three rooms closest to the main lobby exit, not usually a desired location. They would hear if the two youths decided to leave before their 5am stakeout.

"Come on, Chun Li," said Agent O'Connor. "Bison's biological kids or not, they ARE just kids. That bank machine they got to spit out all of that money for them? I tracked down some of the places that money was spent. They bought clothes at some of those trendy kids' stores, and basically bought things that typical traveling kids would buy. They've never been outside of Interpol custody before -- all this mess is to them is one big joy ride. Don't worry about it.... we'll bring them back, return the money to the accounts it's missing from, and it'll all be over."

"I suppose," she said, not sounding entirely convinced. "I'll just feel better when those 'kids', as you put it, are back in Interpol's custody." 

"Get some sleep," O'Connor chuckled. "I DO know that we'll need to be fully rested to take them down without too much trouble. Like most kids, they won't want to come home just yet..."

Chun Li rolled over on her bed so that she was no longer facing her roommate. If he saw the worried expression on her face, he'd only keep nagging at her, lowering her opinion of him notch by notch. It would be better if she just left it at thinking he was somewhat clueless when it came to Shadowlaw.

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Albergo di Lusso, 1:30 am

Sagat was not happy with this assignment. In fact, he found it downright insulting. It wasn't the actual task itself that he minded so much as the fact that the Master had deigned to send himself, Vega, and Balrog to retrieve one person. Bison's daughter or not, Sagat felt it showed a real lack of faith in their skills to have to send the three of them. Perhaps two to retrieve the daughter, and one to accompany the master while he retrieved his son. That would have been less insulting, but Bison's instructions stood as they were. The only compensation was that Bison had said that he wanted the girl brought in with minimal force, and she had gotten some intensive fighting training. 

Thusly, Sagat kept his mind on the task as he led the way to the girl's room. He glanced back, motioning for Balrog to be quiet yet *again*, and saw that Vega was looking at the picture of the master's daughter in a most unwholesome way. The Muay Thai fighter didn't even need to see the masked man's face to know. His eyes betrayed everything. Despite the shortcomings of his companions, there was no one else Sagat would have rather taken on such a task with. They were nothing if not competent fighters.

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Athena's room

The sound of quiet footsteps interrupted Athena's first viewing of late night television. Her pulse increased somewhat, as her body's fight or flight instincts kicked in. Interpol had found them already. She had underestimated them, assuming it would be at least another day or two before they figured out where she and Spartacus had run off to, when the siblings would have already had quite a few hours to get themselves lost again. Cursing herself for underestimating them, she darted to a place in the room where she wouldn't be easily visible, but would be able to see the door without difficulty. 

A few seconds later, the lock was picked, and three muscular men entered. Athena thought she had seen their faces before, but couldn't place them within Interpol. In fact, none of the three looked particularly like an Interpol agent, by their attire, and the aggression that emanated from them. All three were quite muscular and obviously fighters. One was long, lean, and coppery skinned, clad in shorts, with his arms and legs wrapped up for support. The second was a stocky man with very dark coloring, dressed in sports attire and boxing gloves. The third had several particularly noticeable details; a mask, a large snake tattoo that ran across his bare chest, and metal claws attached to his arm. 

"There!" said the tallest of the three, pointing in her direction. Athena rose from her crouching position and pinned the trio with a withering glare. All she wanted was for her and Spartacus to be left alone, so that they could live some semblance of the normal life they had previously been denied. There was no way she would allow Interpol to drag her back into custody. She was a person, not a weapon. Interpol would learn that the hard way, if necessary. Starting with these three. Even if they didn't LOOK like Interpol agents, who else would be on their trail so quickly? 

"Get out now," she told them simply. "I'll kill you if you don't." 

"I wish we could," said the tall, coppery skinned man, "but there's somebody who wants to meet with you. Please come with us, and you have my word you won't be hurt." 

"I said to get out," Athena said. "Last chance. Ten...nine...eight..." 

"Cut the crap and come with us, girl!" snapped the stocky boxer. "There's no way in hell you'd be able to take on all three of us, no matter whose daughter you are!" 

Finally, it clicked. These men weren't with Interpol, they were from Shadowlaw. Of course. She had seen their profiles very briefly once. Shadowlaw or Interpol, it didn't matter. She wasn't going anywhere with anybody, and sincerely doubted Spartacus would be any easier on whoever had been dispatched to retrieve him than she would be on Sagat, Balrog, and Vega.

Pajamas hardly made for the best fighting attire, but at least they didn't inhibit her movements. A second was all it took to dart over to the light switch and flip off the lights, giving her a momentary advantage while their eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She somersaulted away from them, turning off the television in the process so that there was NO light in the room except for what was leaked through the balcony window. Dare she attempt teleporting somewhere outside? She lacked precision in a major way when it came to distances further than fifteen feet away.

No....best to fight. Fiercely, she lashed a kick out, hitting Sagat square in the ribs. Before Balrog could throw her into a firm bear hug, she nimbly ducked, and attempted to hit Vega's knees. Unfortunately, he was prepared for just such a move, and jumped out of the way, onto her bed. Rather than waste the move, she spun it at Balrog, and jumped up into fighting stance to face Sagat and Vega while the stocky boxer got up. They all seemed reluctant to attack her in full force, which she was grateful for. She'd heard of them, and facing the terrible trio all at once was not something she'd ever hoped to do.

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For a while, Vega stood back, watching as Sagat and Balrog tried to subdue Athena, and failed miserably. She was much faster and more agile than either of them, and strong enough to deliver a good pounding. What was worse, she was occasionally teleporting just out of harm's way to some advantageous place, only to attack again. Definitely Bison's daughter... Blow after blow, she continued striking them, and unsightly swelling had already shown up on their arms, legs, chests, and faces. He was just thankful that he'd at least thought of bringing a sedative, and had the sense to observe her fighting style before attacking. With all the noise that they were making, he was surprised hotel security, or worse, Interpol, hadn't showed up yet. All it would take was the right moment...

Sagat grunted as his forearm blocked another of Athena's kicks, and Vega met the tall man's eyes as she followed up with a blow directed at Balrog. At last, all three of them seemed to be in agreement that they weren't getting anywhere. The trouble they would get into for ignoring Bison's instructions and using whatever was necessary to take her down was too horrible to even consider. 

Seeing an opening, Vega snuck up behind the baby blue pajama-clad woman. The needle containing the sedative was taken out instantly from where he'd attached it to his claws. All he had to do was pierce her skin with it. 

There. She was whirling into a spinning back fist to strike him. He caught her arm and yanked her forcibly towards him into a hold. He shoved the needle into a barely visible vein on her neck, and squeezed the drug into her bloodstream. Angrily, she snapped an elbow into his ribcage, broke free from his hold, and sent him flying across the room with powerful kick. It didn't matter, though. The drug would take effect soon enough.

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Athena rubbed her throat, enraged. She was starting to wear her opponents down, and then *this* had happened. The room had begun to blur, too. Perhaps now was the time for a tactical retreat. Carefully, she backed up towards the balcony, making sure to observe her three opponents. When she reached the edge, she focused intently on landing neatly on the ground, three floors down. Before she flickered out of the room, she felt it wobble. When she reappeared, she found she had been close, but not quite where she wanted to be. In fact, she was still a full seven feet from the ground. It only took a second longer to reach that, and she came crashing to the ground with a dull "thud".

A minute later, she groggily forced herself to her knees, but found that she couldn't even maintain balance at that level. Everything was a spinning blur, and she decided attempting to travel too far in Venice of all places would be stupid. She was in no state of mind to swim the polluted streets made of water. After a few minutes of trying to form a plan, she felt her limbs go limp, and someone very strong lift her with no more effort than it would take to lift an infant.

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Cendrisso Alley, Venice 

Apparently, Bison noted with a wide grin, the escape from Interpol hadn't been enough excitement for his son. Already, the boy had gone to an area that all tourists were warned to stay away from: Cendrisso Alley. The four buildings on this block enclosed a wide open space where tourists were frequently robbed and left for dead. Low ranking members of Shadowlaw had made money off of this for years. Ordinarily, to go to a place such as this would be suicide at this hour. 

As a matter of fact, Bison had stood back while some men dragged Spartacus into the alley, curious as to what his son could do. He would intervene when necessary, but for now, he stood back and observed. 

Spartacus' pupiless white eyes lit up and became red as soon as they'd brought him to the center of the open space. More men approached, brandishing baseball bats and other weapons.

Good, very good, Bison thought to himself. This would be interesting. He watched as the lad single-handedly fought off his opponents, seemingly unconcerned about their weapons. He seized one by the throat, lifted him off the ground, and sent jolts of psycho power through him before tossing him at his horrified affiliates. A couple of brazen men, one with a baseball bat, the other with a knife approached Spartacus warily. As the one with the baseball bat was about to take a swing, the youth leaped straight up in the air, then came down, slamming his feet onto the man's head. In a show of bravado, his knife-carrying opponent foolishly charged. Spartacus seized him by the wrist, and sent psycho power painfully up his arm. Listening to his screams of agony, the other potential opponents had turned tail and ran.

"Who's next?" Spartacus demanded, casting the knife-wielder's body aside in disappointment when nobody approached. After a minute of silence, Bison stepped forward.

"Try me . . .son."

He seemed surprised, but not deterred in the slightest from fighting. Bison decided not to be too harsh on the lad. He was brave, but did need to be shown that there were stronger and better fighters that could still finish him off. The fight went on for several minutes, Bison's skill becoming apparent very quickly. As Spartacus was about to charge him, filled with psycho power, he teleported a good twenty feet away.

"You're strong...but I can make you stronger." 

Breathing hard, Spartacus faced him, looking at him with eyes that so matched his own. He seemed at least willing to listen.

Bison continued. "You had to learn so many of your fighting techniques on your own, didn't you?" Spartacus nodded. "I can teach you how to make full use of your abilities...you and your sister both will be trained."

"What about Athena?" questioned the boy, betraying his weakness. "What did you do to her?! We broke out of Interpol to escape being controlled!"

"She is fine," Bison assured. Or at least she will be if Sagat, Vega, and Balrog hope to continue breathing. He didn't voice this particular thought to Spartacus. "And I wouldn't dream of controlling you the way Interpol did -- you are my heirs. If you come with me, I promise you'll be stronger and more powerful than you ever dreamed of." He teleported back over to Spartacus, and offered a hand. 

They shook hands, and it wasn't long before they were on Bison's airship, leaving Italy with Sagat, Vega, and Balrog.

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Albergo di Lusso

As soon as the sounds of police sirens had approached the hotel, Chun Li Xiang's eyes had snapped open. She leaped out of bed, roused O'Connor with a shake, and knocked loudly on the rooms of the four other Interpol agents to make sure they were awake. Together, they made their way quickly to the third floor, four of them taking the stairs while she and O'Connor took the elevators. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest. Finely tuned instincts told her that she was right. Shadowlaw was here! If they weren't here now, they had been only moments ago. 

Those instincts were confirmed when they got to room 307, the girl's room, and found the door ajar. There was a definite sign of a struggle, with broken furniture, and things scattered all over the floor, although there was thankfully no blood.

"Athena?" she asked, although instincts told her that the girl was gone. "Athena? It's Agent Chun Li Xiang of Interpol. Come out and don't give us any trouble." The bathroom door was closed. Just in case, she kicked it open. Nobody there.

"Shit! You were right!" O'Connor said, rubbing his temples as though a massive headache had suddenly come on. "I wonder if the boy's here..."

"Probably not," Chun Li said tersely. "But we'll check anyhow." 

Cougar showed up a second later after bounding up the steps, and elbowed the door open while the other agents prepared for the worst. However, this room was completely undisturbed, aside from the slightly rumpled covers on the bed, and some of the boy's new clothes scattered all over it. No sign of a struggle here.

"Spartacus was more concerned with fighting," O'Connor said soberly. "I wonder if they just *talked* him into coming along."

"That, or they sedated him right from the start," Cougar remarked. "It looks like Athena caused them enough trouble."

"Either way...they're gone." Chun Li's voice was quiet, but distinctly angry. A well thought out plan like this meant that Bison was indeed amongst the land of the living, and that there was a good chance that there was a spy in their midst, despite Interpol's increased precautions to prevent just that. She had no idea which of the agents it would be, so she'd have to keep it quiet, and hunt down the culprit herself, all the while pursuing Bison. At least, she thought wryly, life wouldn't be dull for the next little while.

Author's note: Oi....chapter 3 was a long one! ^^ If you've gotten this far, please read and review. I'd really like to know what people think. I *will* be writing some romance involving Chun Li and a mystery character, but it won't happen just yet. I want to get the plot established nicely first, and bring in more regulars. Next chapter: Ken and Ryu get involved!


	4. Arrangements

Disclaimer: Street Fighter II and all of the characters within it belong to Capcom. This fanfic, as well as the created characters within it belong to me.

Part 4: Arrangements

by Evil Wild Lex

Interpol base, Italy

With a grim expression across her lovely face, Chun-Li searched through the Interpol database for the telephone number of Ken Masters. It had been nearly five years since they had last spoken; of the six they had known each other. It wasn't because of any falling out. She had just become too preoccupied with becoming a detective in a short amount of time, and avenging her father, that she didn't have much time for friends. Much less one at the other side of the globe. It was a shame that they hadn't kept in contact, and had drifted their own ways. She remembered his friendly nature and sense of humor, and wished he were here now to joke with, and lighten the somber tone in the Interpol base.

At last, she found the number. She paused for a moment, heart beating slightly faster than it had been. Why did she feel so nervous about calling? She was just going to warn him about Shadowlaw, was all. 

But that wasn't all. He had been her very first crush, and the only one that had ever progressed into anything, even if it was basically just friendship. She heard he had a fiancée a while ago, and this was just a professional call, but she did feel the slightest hue of pink creep onto her cheeks before she finally pressed the buttons to dial his number. 

"Hello?"

"May I speak to Ken Masters? It's an urgent call from Interpol."

--------------------------------------

"Speaking," Ken replied. The woman's voice on the other end sounded very familiar for some reason. "Now, what's so urgent?"

"Ken, it's Chun-Li Xiang," said the woman, her voice losing some of its professional formality for a moment, "Agent Chun-Li Xiang."

Now, that was somewhat of a surprise. If Ken remembered correctly, she was only in her early twenties. Twenty-one, to be exact. For her to have become an agent of Interpol was some accomplishment, indeed. Perhaps that was why they'd lost contact. True, he could have put more effort into it himself, but there were so many tournaments to fight, and then Eliza had come along, and so much of his free time had seemed to vanish. 

"Chun-Li? What's wrong?" He heard her take a deep breath before she began to explain.

"Shadowlaw wasn't fully defeated last year," she said seriously. The professional tone was that, but there was a touch of personal concern mixed in. "We haven't determined if Bison is alive yet, but his two full-grown kids are with Shadowlaw now, and we suspect several of their most dangerous members to still be alive." 

"And they're going to try and recruit me and Ryu again?" Ken ventured, brushing messy, dark blonde hair from his brown eyes. "I'll let Ryu know. He's coming to visit in a couple of days."

"Not necessarily recruit," warned Chun-Li. "Bison failed twice already. They might decide it's not worth the trouble and just kill you."

"Aww, we can handle it!" Ken said cheerfully. He almost welcomed the challenge of such dangerous opponents. Almost. He didn't relish winding up how he had in the cage fight with Vega six years ago, or his and Ryu's confrontation with Bison a year ago. "Me and Ryu kicked Bison's sorry ass last year, and if he's still alive, we'll do it again!"

"Well, just be careful," instructed the Chinese woman, affection for her friend creeping into her tone of voice. "I have to get back to work now."

"Wait, Chun-Li," Ken said, spontaneously. He'd never felt anything more than platonic for the young woman, but those platonic feelings were strong. To him, she was like the sister that he'd never been blessed with. "I'd really like for you to visit sometime and meet Eliza.... I bet Ryu would love to see you, too." There was only silence on the other end for a minute, before his old friend gave her answer.

"Sure, sounds great," she replied pleasantly, sounding more like the Chun-Li he knew than she had in this entire conversation. "I'll be in the United States in a couple of days, as a matter of fact. Just as soon as I take care of some business."

"Give me a ring, then," Ken instructed, a big grin plastered onto his face, despite the disturbing news. "You've got my number."

"Will do," she replied. "See you soon, Ken." The next thing he heard was the dial tone, but he wasn't offended by the lack of a formal goodbye in the slightest. He seldom bothered with formality, and liked to get straight to the point, so why should it be any different for anyone else?

All in all, he looked forward to events to come. His wedding was in just a few months, he would be seeing Ryu and Chun-Li soon, and finally, there would be some _real_ excitement, with Shadowlaw active again. He'd continued to train, and there really was nothing quite like fighting for your life, rather than just to win the fight. The adrenaline that coursed through your system as the 'fight or flight' instincts kicked in....to Ken, it was one of the most unique and remarkable feelings he'd ever experienced.

---------------------------------------

Shadowlaw base, Brazil

It had been several hours since their initial arrival, and Bison had already given his son the tour of all the areas of the base he would allow the young man to venture in. He didn't know how far he could trust him just yet. It was certain that Spartacus had no love for Interpol, but Bison decided not to be imprudent by placing too much confidence in him too early. Better to show his child/clone all the benefits of staying with the Shadowlaw organization, and let him decide what he wanted to do with his life. Any offspring worthy of succeeding M.Bison would know a good deal when one was presented to them.

Presently, he sat alone. Spartacus had been left with Sagat, who was showing off the large training facility this base offered in more detail than the Shadowlaw leader had elected to. It was just as well. There was much to teach the lad, to be sure, but Bison was also curious about the other child, who had yet to wake up. Vega had confessed to using more sedative than necessary for a young woman of her size, and Balrog and Sagat had both backed him up in his story that the bruising on the girl was on account of the fall she had taken, not inflicted by any of the street fighters sent to retrieve her. 

Familiar footsteps entered the room, and a polite knock came from the doorway. Without even turning, Bison declared, "You may enter, Cammy."

---------------------------------------

"Your daughter is awake," Cammy declared. Awake wasn't exactly the best word for it, but she'd stirred, made noise and attempted to stumble out of the cell they'd locked her in. Awake by technical definition, anyhow. The beautiful scarred blonde had only gotten a very basic version of the story, and abstractly wondered how much sedative Vega had given the girl.... enough to stun a horse, perhaps? 

"Excellent," Bison said approvingly. He got up and rested his hand on her shoulder in that gentle way he did whenever he was pleased with her, idly massaging it with his strong fingers. "Has she eaten? Is she dressed?"' 

Admittedly, Cammy would have felt more than a little jealous of the Shadowlaw master's concern over Athena, if she hadn't known the young woman was his daughter. Even though Cammy didn't know of the particulars behind it all, at least she was satisfied in knowing the girl had been brought into the world long before she had ever become involved with Shadowlaw and Bison. Even though she was just one of the several extremely talented and deadly members of Shadowlaw, she was attached to Bison in more ways than the others were, and wouldn't have liked to find herself sharing. She couldn't even remember most of her life, so she chose to hold onto the one she had here.

Together they walked to Athena's cell. Cammy was prompted to enter first, to make sure the child was decent. There hadn't been much in the way of appropriate women's clothing to give her, so Cammy had left a pair of her own leggings, and a shirt that barely fit Bison at all on account of his broad shoulders. When she poked her head in, the dark redheaded girl had the temperament of a wolverine, but she was at least dressed in the leggings and oversized shirt.

Cammy nodded to Bison, and the master of Shadowlaw entered for a family reunion. 

--------------------------------------

Bison was taken aback how much his daughter looked like someone important from a past he seldom dredged up. It was an uncanny resemblance, really. He almost whispered Venus' name when looking at his daughter, who looked like an exact replica of the woman that occupied his life pre-Shadowlaw. In fact, that uncanny resemblance was just too uncanny for it to be coincidence. She had purposely been created to look like that by Interpol, to weaken him when she was sent to kill him. He was sure of it. The thought incensed him, that anyone should know his past, and worse, that anyone should know enough to expose him. He had taken so many steps to prevent just such a thing.

"Hello," he greeted, more casually than he'd greeted anyone in the past few years. 

As soon as the word left his mouth, a knife came flying at his left eye with such velocity and force that he erected a shield of psycho power for protection. Instead of being angry at the attack, Bison grinned widely. She was his daughter, all right.

"Nice throw." 

-----------------------------------

With a quiet growl, Athena forced herself into a fighting stance the best she could manage with the room spinning the way it was. The butter knife had been aimed for his throat, not his eye, and it wouldn't do to be so weak in front of someone she was supposed to be able to kill. It was all that damned Vega's fault! If it wasn't for the sedative he'd stabbed into her neck, she would have been fine. She wondered who had been sent to retrieve her brother. Of the pair, he was the stronger one, far more like their father than she. 

"Where's Spartacus?" she demanded, thinking of her half brother. 

"I presume he's still training with Sagat," Bison replied. He arched an eyebrow at her fighting stance, not entirely threatening looking when she was wobbling to and fro. 

"Well, you'd better let us both go!"' Athena was furious she'd been brought here, when her goal had been to escape all people that would use them for weapons. To this, her father chuckled.

"Or you'll what? Teleport out of here and land flat on your face?" Her cheeks flushed in response to the reminder. The fall wasn't one of her finer moments. Bison's expression grew serious now, and he spoke again. "Athena, Spartacus chose to come here of his own free will. I promised him training, and I'm extending the offer to you, too."

"I'm not a killing machine," she said automatically. If Interpol was willing to use her for killing, surely Bison wouldn't hesitate. 

"I didn't say you were, child. But you have so much to learn that only I could teach you." Before she could argue with him further, he continued. "Wouldn't you like the chance to get revenge on Interpol? Don't you find it hypocritical that an organization to prevent crime would create someone like yourself?" Athena refrained from answering, knowing her father was right about those things at least. "Have you ever looked at the people in power, knowing your intelligence far exceeded theirs?"

When he still received no response, Bison was satisfied. "Shadowlaw has many things to offer, and I hope you're not so blind as to ignore them. Stay here with your brother and I for a month, then you can choose whether to stay or leave." 

"What about the agents sent to find me?" she said, getting to another important point. 

"They won't find you here, and we'll have Miss Chun Li Xiang and the others taken care of. Someone's monitoring them constantly." 

"One month, then."

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Author's note: Heh....I thought I'd cut this off here, but I promise I'll write REALLY soon, since I had plenty of other characters I wanted to get to, but didn't want to make this chapter too long. 

If you've gotten to this point, please review! And for an added point, you can tell me what fights you'd like to see. ^________^ I have a few planned, but some are up in the open, and you, the readers get some say in them. *grin*


	5. Together Again

Disclaimer: Street Fighter II and all of the characters within it belong to Capcom. This fanfic, as well as the created characters within it belong to me.

Part 5: Together Again

by Evil Wild Lex

Seattle, USA

The moment she laid eyes on the place Ken had selected for dinner that night, Chun Li knew she was right to be dressed up as much as she was. Black heels and a black see-through wrap for warmth around her arms completed her dark dress, sleeveless, sparkling subtly of royal blue and silver and reaching to her knees. When the taxi pulled up to the restaurant, she'd paid the driver, and climbed out, Chun Li saw that she would fit right in. Typical Ken. Extravagant, but tasteful. 

"Excuse me," she said as she walked past a few people. Some sneered and turned their noses up at her for being so rude as to butt in front of them in the line, but she was already ten minutes late. A snooty looking host, clad in a vest, dress pants, and a tie, was glancing over the reservations, turning away a couple that had shown up without any. Approaching the host, she said "I'm supposed to meet friends here. . the party should be reserved under Ken Masters for seven o'clock." Instantly, the host's expression became welcoming.

"Miss Chun Li, I presume?" He smiled at her graciously. "Right this way."

The lighting of the restaurant was dim and warm, the tables were decorated elegantly with long, white cloth tablecloths, and a thin, clear vase with a single red rose in the middle of each. Soft instrumental music played in the background, and every dark wood wall was decorated with gorgeous prints of famous paintings. The carpet was predominantly dark red, with a subtle pattern woven into it. The lighting was provided predominantly by golden and sparkling chandeliers, the lights kept turned down for a more intimate feel to the restaurant. All in all, it was the very appearance of fine dining.

----------------------

Ryu tugged at the collar of his button-down shirt uncomfortably. Ken had insisted he wear the irritating thing and a tie, saying it, black dress pants, and a pair of dress shoes was the minimum dress code for this kind of place. Admittedly, Ken was right, everyone was wearing fancy clothing, but that didn't make this shirt comfortable. With his bulky frame, men's dress shirts never fit properly, and they would never fit as comfortably as Ryu's tattered white gi, no matter how much they were designed for a pleasant fit. To both Ken and Eliza's amusement, he made a disgusted face at the tie around his neck. Yuck. Not his style at all, he thought to himself. If he had his choice, he would have had them meet Chun Li at Ken's place while he hung out in a pair of drawstring pants and a t-shirt.

All personal gripes with the formal atmosphere of the restaurant disappeared when Chun Li stepped up to their table. He tried to stop himself from staring, but it took more restraint than he had to show at the moment. He remembered the fifteen-year-old girl that had been a tour guide for he and Ken in Hong Kong six years ago, but he hadn't been around to see the woman she had become. So far, he was impressed. She had really grown up quickly. Ken had already told him she was an Interpol agent and had relayed the news about Shadowlaw. At twenty-one, that was amazing.

"Hi guys, sorry I'm late," she said sheepishly, her voice still the same cheerful voice, but with a maturity that hadn't been there before. She smiled at Eliza and extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Chun Li."

"It's nice to meet you, too," the gorgeous blonde woman replied. "I'm Eliza."

Ken didn't look worried about the Shadowlaw's emergence in the slightest, but it nagged at the back of Ryu's mind. More than likely, Sagat was still alive, and he really wouldn't be surprised if Bison had survived fighting he and Ken a second time, even if they had hit him with a double hadouken. If Bison had adult children on top of everything else, that would be a problem. Chun Li was right, Bison might not necessarily be intent on recruiting them, after he had failed twice already. They had shown their friendship was stronger than Bison's psycho power, and there was a good chance he'd just want revenge. Ryu doubted very much that the despot would forget about he and Ken any time soon, or Chun Li for that matter, either.

After some polite small talk, where Ken and Eliza discussed their engagement with Ryu and Chun Li, Eliza excused herself to go to the ladies' room. They already had their appetizers, and it would be some time before the meal would arrive, but Ryu still took a careful look around the area before bringing up the subject all three friends wanted to speak of. He wasn't a terribly cautious person, but it never hurt to make sure nobody else was listening.

"So what's going on with the Shadowlaw?" he said bluntly. 

"I'd like to be able to tell you both everything," said the lovely Chinese woman apologetically, "but it would be a breach of confidentiality with Interpol. I'll tell you as much as I can, though." Ryu nodded. She had turned very professional, but was still a concerned friend. 

"The kids were both genetically bred to be used to kill Bison and both have his abilities. They escaped together not long ago from two of our bases. We tracked them down, but Shadowlaw was paying attention to their location, too, and snatched them from underneath our noses. We don't know if they're being held against their own free will or not, but suffice to say, it's not good." She lowered her voice to nearly a whisper, causing Ryu to strain to hear her. "I think there's a spy in the organization....I've got no proof, but it just seems funny how easily Shadowlaw found them." A sigh of exasperation, and her demeanor was professional again. "But that's all I can really tell you at this point."

Ryu nodded. That was enough of a warning. "We shouldn't just sit around on our butts waiting for him, then," he said with determination. "If Bison's going to come back, I want to be ready and waiting for a rematch."

---------------------

"I've been looking for the chance to see if I've really improved anyhow," Ken said casually, as if none of this fazed him. Truthfully, he was concerned, for himself, for his friends, and for what might happen to Eliza being around him. It never did help to buckle under stress, so he dismissed whatever threw itself in his face as nothing to be alarmed about. A joke. 

He turned to Ryu. "Originally, it was going to be just practicing with you, buddy," he said, facing Chun Li now, "but now that you're here too, the three of us can train, and get a real test soon enough." 

"I have work," Chun Li said pointedly. 

"No problem," Ken said. He wanted to be as best prepared as possible if that scumbag Bison had really returned from the grave. "Just come when you're available, and train as much as you can. And if you don't actually have to be in an Interpol office, maybe you can do your work at my place. Dad's got several home offices, since he doesn't like the long drive to work. I'm sure he wouldn't mind lending you one." He definitely wanted Chun Li to be safe. She was the closest thing to a sister he'd ever had, and while they'd lost contact for so long, the platonic feelings had been just as strong as ever the moment they'd spoken again.

Eliza returned from her trip to the restroom, and they continued normal dinner chitchat as though that's what they'd been discussing all along. He couldn't afford to bring Eliza into this at all. Ryu and Chun Li could at least take care of themselves.

-------------------

A few hours later

It had certainly been nice, getting caught up with old friends. Times like this reminded Chun Li that she *was* twenty-one, and still did need to socialize outside of work now and then. Taking down Bison always came first, but that didn't mean she had to let work get the best of her all the time and entirely neglect her social life. Besides, she justified to herself, she had been working, in a way. She'd alerted two of the people that had taken on Bison (and lived to tell the tale) of the megalomaniac's possible return. That was enough.

No, it wasn't. She was reminded of one more person that should know about this latest development, and angry with herself that she hadn't thought of him earlier. Captain Guile deserved to know. Like her, he had lost someone important to him to that madman. He would want the opportunity to get revenge and protect others from M.Bison. It was ironic that she would neglect to think of him right away, considering that she had been better about staying in contact with him after working with him only a year ago. 

She would phone him first thing tomorrow, and also make sure to arrange times to train with Ryu and Ken. As busy as she was, she knew how valuable it was to train against someone that could prove to be a truly challenging opponent.

-----------------

The next morning

"Major Guile, sir? There's a call for you."

"If it's my ex-wife, tell her I'll call her back, and that I already mailed the damned cheque over," he growled, curling a hefty weight. His already large bicep became even more defined as he held it there for a moment and slowly lowered it, only to repeat the process yet again.

"It's not your ex, but it is a lady," said the sergeant. He looked curious, but the one Guile's pale blue eyes pierced him with in return discouraged him from asking any questions whatsoever. 

"I'll take it in my office," he said, putting the weight back in place. "Tell her I'll be a minute." He couldn't begin to guess who would call him at work in the morning other than his wife. He had a couple of friendly female acquaintances, but they knew to call him in the evening. He walked to his office, deciding he'd rather not have the nosy sergeant busying himself with work around the area so he could overhear bits of the conversation. 

"Major Guile." No polite hello, just identifying himself.

"Major? This is new," said the voice pleasantly. She sounded familiar.

"Chun Li?"

"Right," she answered. A faint smile tugged at the ends of Guile's lips. It had been nearly two months since they'd last spoken, and he missed the cheerful Chinese woman, though he'd never outright admit it. "So, when did you get the promotion?"

"Just a month and a half ago," he replied. "They'd been planning on promoting me for a while after the whole Shadowlaw incident, but it took them a while to get around to it."

"Congratulations!" she said enthusiastically. "Um. . ." The enthusiasm had vanished instantly from her voice, and she sounded as though she was having trouble spitting out whatever she had to say.

"What?" Guile demanded bluntly. Chun Li was usually a direct person. He didn't want her to start up with any awkward bullshit now.

"Well, we didn't defeat Shadowlaw the way we thought. . ." she started. Guile's mouth fell open in surprise. "There's no proof if Bison is dead or alive, but there's evidence that other members of Shadowlaw are alive, and Bison's two genetically engineered offspring went missing recently." She sighed. "I thought you ought to know, so you can be on alert. When I get back to work on Monday, perhaps we can arrange to work together again."

Guile swallowed. Bison back? With that scumbag, anything was possible. If he was, maybe Guile would have the chance to rip Bison's non-existent heart out and cram it down his throat. Sounded good. It was no less than Bison deserved. . .

"Yeah, sounds good, kid," Guile said after that minute's pause. "Take care of yourself, Chun Li."

"I will," Chun Li answered, back to the playful woman he knew. "You make sure to take your own advice, Guile. Talk to you soon."

"Right, bye." replied the soldier, hanging up right after. He hated those long goodbyes, filled with cliché expressions and small talk. He walked out of his office, with a dark look on his face that warned everyone to stay a minimum of twenty feet away, stalking over to where the military's punching bags were kept. A few solid punches sunk into the leather bag and the chain protested violently. But none of that mattered to Guile. All he could see was Bison's face on the punching bag. He punched it one last time, sending the bag flying off of its' chain and into the wall with a loud 'smack'.

---------------------------------

Author's note: Gaaah! I'm sorry for taking so long to update this. I'll never take that long to update again. @_@;; I already jotted down notes for the next three chapters after this one, so it shouldn't be too long at all before chapter six is done. ^^ And, as always, please leave a review.


	6. Deceit and Betrayal

Disclaimer: Street Fighter II and all of the characters within it belong to Capcom. This fanfic, as well as the created characters within it belong to me.

Part 6: Deceit and Betrayal

By Evil Wild Lex

Interpol base  
United States of America

Agent George Clarke's hazel eyes scanned the Interpol hallways, left, then right. His report to Bison was overdue, but this was his first opportunity to slip away. Shadowlaw had taken Bison's offspring right under Interpol's nose, and the international police force was not made up of a bunch of fools, despite the occasional evidence to the contrary. Presently, few people were walking in the sterile, white halls, and none of them were involved with this case. Perfect. No one to question him. The Cougar was beginning to feel caged.

Slipping into one of Interpol's many communications rooms, Cougar prepared the radio. He selected an older channel, one that nobody else would be likely to be trying to use. One of the more regularly used channels would be virtually static free, but he had no intention of putting himself in a situation where explanations would be necessary. He shut the door and kept the room darkened, lit only by the lights of the advanced communication system.

"Cougar reporting," he intoned quietly. There was thirty seconds of chilling silence before Bison's snarling voice finally replied. 

"It's about time. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been growing. . .impatient." The last word carried a warning. Bison was a man who got what he wanted, when he wanted, and he liked to remind others of that fact.

"Humblest apologies, my Master, but all agents on this case are being watched closely. It wasn't possible to slip away any earlier."

"Hm." Whether Bison was acknowledging the problem grudgingly, or warning Cougar he was treading on thin ice was hard to say. "I hope you have something worth reporting."

"Yes sir, I do. Agent Chun Li Xiang has contacted Major Guile of the United States army." He felt relieved to have something that might interest the Megalomaniac.

"Don't you mean Captain Guile?" Bison questioned.

"He was recently promoted, sir. He's got soldiers all over looking for your base, and anyone from Shadowlaw that might show up here."

"Useful to know," Bison said with a little chuckle. "Perhaps I'll give him what he's looking for soon. Bison out."

Cougar could honestly say he hated what he was doing, gathering information and secretly destroying Interpol from the inside. Certainly, his ancestors had been far braver, meeting their enemies head on in battle. However, his people were being defeated just as, if not more indirectly than his own actions. Government legislation giving them scraps of land, and ignoring their identity because it was convenient, all under the guise of being a "free" first world country. 

The bitter man pondered this as he closed the door and left the room. . .nearly walking right into Agent O'Connor. How perfectly awkward.

Agent George Clarke explained he was contacting someone for a rather slow moving case he was working on at the same time, but gut instinct told him that O'Connor was suspicious and didn't entirely believe him. Sure enough, less than two hours later, he found O'Connor fiddling around with the radio, trying to figure out which frequency he'd been using. Well, two could play at that game. He found Agent Xiang a few minutes later, and spoke to her solemnly.

"I found Agent O'Connor in one of the communications rooms, but he didn't sign in to use it. It looked like he didn't want anyone to know about it." As expected, Chun Li's lovely mouth curled into a disgusted frown.

"O'Connor? Really?" She sighed. "Try to find out who he contacted when you get the chance. I'll let the others know. Thank you, Agent Clarke." Cougar nodded gravely. It was good that he'd convinced her. Despite her being so young, she had more experience with Shadowlaw than any other Interpol agent...excepting himself. But nobody knew about that.

When the opportunity arose, he slipped into the communications room again, this time more urgently. 

"Master. Agent O'Connor is close to the truth."

---------

Twenty minutes later  
Shadowlaw Headquarters

Cold, unreadable, pupiless eyes fixed themselves on two men. One with blonde hair, a fair tan and a mask. The other darker skinned, incredibly tall, with a large scar across his chest. Their chiseled, commanding master faced them, with a frown that could have been carved from stone. A terrifying man, resembling the evil spirits portrayed in ancient Greek sculpture.

"You called?" inquired Vega lazily from behind his mask. That he'd left out the 'Master' honorific did not go unnoticed. Bison ignored it for the time being. He would put the beautiful little worm in his place at a more convenient time.

"I'm sending you both to the Interpol office in the United States," Bison growled, "to clean up the Cougar's mess." Something small in the posture of both men shifted. They did not want to be used for menial tasks--they, Shadowlaw's finest! It was insulting to their skills as fighters. "I need a certain Agent O'Connor killed. He's figured out too much."

"And the Cougar, who caused this in the first place?" Unlike Vega, Sagat was not eager for the kill. Just aware that no one failed Shadowlaw without repercussions.

"Beat him, but not to unconsciousness. He's been very useful so far. I can afford him some kindness." He looked directly to Sagat. "I have a different task for you, but in the same place. It seems that Interpol is continuing the search for my children. It would be a shame for their efforts to go wasted. Let them see how happy they are here in Shadowlaw."

----------

That evening  
Interpol, United States of America

Behind his mask, there was a predatory smirk on Vega's face. It had been a while since his last kill, and Bison's strange children were setting him on edge. Spartacus for the striking resemblance he bore to his father, right down to the temper and voice. A carbon copy of Shadowlaw's leader, but in his late teens.

/Just what I need, a second Bison,/ he pouted to himself. Despite not fearing anything other than outer ugliness, Vega made a point of keeping tabs on anyone capable of beating him to the point of disfigurement. There were few and far between, so it was hardly a chore. Just good sense for a man who had so much pride in his appearance.

The girl, Athena, was in some ways more disturbing than her brother or father. The abilities she had shown were mainly defensive, but she was equally as deadly as the rest of her family. That wasn't what troubled Vega, though. It was her cool indifference toward nearly everything around her that was unnatural. The day after he, Sagat and Balrog had brought her here onwards, she had reacted to very little. She didn't even blink when he took his mask off in her presence earlier this week; she merely passed by as though he was another of her father's minions. Now that was insulting.

He looked forward to this kill. An Interpol agent...the only thing that could possibly have been sweeter would have been the chance to repay Chun Li for their encounter last year. It had taken months to recover from his injuries, plastic surgery to repair the damage on his exquisite face, and the worst of all, groveling to Bison. Of course, he wouldn't have even been spared if Bison didn't need him, but Shadowlaw's leader wouldn't let anyone forget for a moment what a cruel despot he could be.

Oh yes, this kill would be sweet. Just what Vega needed to relieve the tension he'd been suffering of late. And it was all his, despite the three others in his company. Their task was different.

-----------

Sagat was impressed with the drastic improvements Bison's children had made when it came to controlling their powers. Having someone to teach them had made a huge difference in their skills than from when they were strictly self-taught. It appeared that this training was one of the main things keeping them here in Shadowlaw, too.

Athena had taken the lead, being hte quietest and least conspicuous of the three of them. Spartacus was in the middle, and Sagat was taking up the rear, despite being placed in charge of this operation. His height stood out enough and the kids were competent enough that he wasn't concerned about his position. Whatever got the job done. Satisfying Bison would mean being that much closer to a rematch with Ryu.

----------

Nervous tension running through his spine, Cougar had been waiting with Agent O'Connor, discussing things with him all day, ever since his report to Bison. He had already spoken to Chun Li about O'Connor being the spy, but didn't want the other man to present her with any evidence to the contrary. The Master was having everything taken care of. He expected it to be any time now, but felt as nervous about being discovered as he did about the arrival of whomever Bison sent. Though he knew he deserved whatever he got for letting himself get careless, he still didn't look forward to it.

O'Connor watched him suspiciously as they walked through the hallways. Cougar did the same. It would have been amusing, were this a game or joke of some sort.

The hallway the two men walked through was dim. Two of the lights ahead, at the nearest corner, were broken. Upon spotting those, and listening to the eerily dead silence of the halls, alarm bells went off inside Cougar. Every instinct told him an ambush was up ahead. Yet, he proceeded. The ambush was for O'Connor.

---------

Cougar had done well, Vega noted. Whether it had been his intention to take O'Connor through the quietest, most dimly lit hallways of Interpol, or whether he had been steering the man away from others to avoid discovery, it was more convenient for the Spanish assassin this way. Perhaps he would be nicer to the wild cat, and not leave him too bloody. Perhaps not. 

Moving with the stealth he'd learned while studying ninjitsu, he listened to the approaching sounds of O'Connor and Cougar's voices. He paused at the corner, the darkest place in the hallways. The best place to ambush them.

O'Connor barely had the time to let out a strangled scream before Vega's claws pierced his throat, severing his vocal chords. Another slash gauged his eyes, and a final, fatal hit was driven into the Interpol agent's abdomen. Wet crimson soaked into his previously pristine taupe suit, leaving stains that would never come out. Blood had a way of remaining. As if it mattered to O'Connor now. The damage Vega did guaranteed a closed casket funeral or cremation.

The masked Spaniard watched his gory masterpiece take effect as the Interpol agent took his last, desperate breaths. Then he rounded on Cougar, who looked more like a small deer, paralyzed by fear as it looked into the headlights of his car. At least, that was the look Vega recognized in his hazel eyes. An amused, throaty chuckle escaped his throat. How amusing to see someone the Master valued so, showing signs of cowardice. Vega would savor his fear.

"This is what happens to those that fail Bison," he told Cougar, gesturing to O'Connor's recently dead corpse with delight he knew the expert tracker could sense. 

Nearly smelling the fear on him, Vega advanced, licking blood off his claws while approaching the wild cat. To his credit, the other man actually showed very few outward signs of fear. His pupils had changed, and his heart rate was quite likely faster than normal, but he really only seemed uncomfortable and moderately nervous. A pity.

Like a whip cracking, he lashed a vicious kick into the ribs of his victim, following up with a punch to the man's face. Cougar grunted, but took the punishment like a man. More blows ensued. All painful, but none life threatening. At last, Vega stood back to admire his work. Agent George Clarke's nose was puffed up and bleeding, but nothing marked him as a victim of anything more than a brainless thug who got lucky. A signature would have to be left. Deftly, he leapt up and flipped behind his target. As he plummeted downwards, he let his claws gash into Cougar's dark back. It almost seemed a shame that Cougar was not to fight back. That separated this from a victory and what it was -- merely a job. Perhaps when he recovered, the chance to fight him would present itself.

"I want you to deliver a message for me," Vega said, almost conversational. He raised his claw in demonstration. "Tell Chun Li Xiang she's next." That said, he darted off into the shadows.

----------

Their mission had two purposes: to cause enough of a commotion that Vega could escape without notice, and to assert that Bison's offspring were with Shadowlaw of their own free will, making it futile to try tracking them down any further. They had begun with breaking into the office of this Interpol building's mainframe computer. No mercy was shown, to those who tried to interfere, and those who watched in terror. All were knocked into unconsciousness from powerful psycho blasts, courtesy of Spartacus, but all would survive.

Athena rapidly teleported to different seats, keying in values and letters so fast that her fingers and teleporting form were a blur of peach, dark red, and black. She went on like this for several minutes, then stopped, looking tired and in need of a short rest, but satisfied.

"What did you do?" Sagat questioned her. Bison's instructions had been to trust his children's judgment unless there was sufficient reason not to, but that didn't mean Sagat intended to be uninformed. Particularly considering he was supposed to be running this operation.

"I programmed a virus into the mainframe computer of this Interpol building, which will, in turn, infect every computer networked to it...including the one that regulates the power of the entire building. Of course, there will be a manually operated backup, but that should cause enough panic in a few minutes regardless."

Direct, as if reporting on any other solution to a problem. God. It was disturbing, the way she displayed no signs of guilt over doing this to the organization that had raised her. Sagat didn't like this method of fighting Interpol, regardless of how effective it was. It was the act of a criminal, not of a warrior. But then, Athena and Spartacus had been created and raised as weapons, which sat even worse with him. It seemed fitting that Interpol's living creations of war should turn against them.

-----------

A few minutes later

Chun Li sat at her desk, contemplating what Agent Clarke had told her earlier today. It was hard to believe that Agent Pat O'Connor, one of Interpol's finest, was a spy. He'd had a career in the organization for fifteen years, with a nearly spotless record. In frustration, she banged her fist down hard on the desk. How could she fight Bison and Shadowlaw if she didn't know who she could trust?!

The harsh blow rattled her nearby monitor, which suddenly had a very poor, and rapidly poorer quality image on the screen. Then the computer beside it simply shut off.

/Did I hit the desk hard enough to knock the video card loose. . .?/ she wondered. Her question was answered when she heard various curses come from neighboring offices. No, it was a bigger problem. The question of whether it was just a network mishap or foul play was answered as every light and appliance in the building unceremoniously shut off.

Fumbling around in her bottom desk drawer, Chun Li fished out a small battery-operated flashlight that had come with her takeout lunch earlier this week. This furthered her belief that things happened for a reason, even if they seemed like a weird coincidence at first. Everything fit in at a later time. For example, another tour guide could have been chosen to show Ken and Ryu the sights of Hong Kong years ago, but it had been hear, and now they were dear friends, despite losing contact and not seeing each other much. 

A determined look set itself in her delicate features, one that promised to hunt down the bastards that did this and make sure they were hurting before they were thrown in custody. It wasn't possible to do this sort of damage to the Interpol building from anywhere else but inside the building itself. Chances were, the bastards were still here.

Leading a few other armed agents she found along the way, Chun Li made her way through the dark halls, quietly but quickly. Whoever did this wasn't going to get away with it, especially if they were working for Shadowlaw! Their trek was halted when they met three shadowy forms. One as tall as a mountain, the second a slender, feminine figure, the last of them with glowing white eyes.

"Don't move!" Chun Li shouted at the trio, whom she identified as Sagat, and the missing Athena and Spartacus projects. A guttural chuckle came from the boy with pupiless eyes, and the girl merely sniffed disdainfully. Only Sagat spoke. 

"Put away your weapons. I don't want to kill you if I don't have to, but I will if you make it necessary." He took a step forward. The click of a trigger about to be pulled could be heard through the wave of tension sweeping through the dark hall.

"Don't be stupid," Spartacus growled at them. "Your guns are nothing compared to our power...father's been training us." The agent with the itchy trigger finger fired at him, but the bullet never hit its mark. A shield of psycho power from Athena's outstretched arms made certain of that. The lethal bullet fell harmlessly to the ground, unable to penetrate the bright energy.

"Move out of the way," said the girl, a hint of anger in her calm voice. "Do not try to track us down. We will not return to Interpol's custody. More things of this sort will happen if you try to apprehend us. Attempts to prevent our leaving here will result in death. Act wisely."

Had they been brainwashed by Shadowlaw as Cammy was? Chun Li didn't think so. This seemed like an act of free will. Certainly, Sagat was not brainwashed. What a champion Muay Thai fighter like himself had been promised in exchange for the soul he'd sold to Shadowlaw, she couldn't say. However, everyone had a price. Apparently, one had been found for Bison's progeny. Training, and understanding of their abilities, perhaps.

"Stand down," she told the other agents after a full, tense minute. "Holding them won't do any good if our power's down and the security system isn't working."

"But Agent Xiang! They're with--" 

"I SAID stand down!" she said, bite accompanying her bark. "We'd need the highest security possible for just one of them, much less three. We need to focus on damage control for now." In the dim light of her flashlight, her brown eyes shone vindictively. She glared at the Shadowlaw trio. "Get out."

As promised, they left without further casualties. Continuing along the halls, Chun Li heard a weak moan. Shining her flashlight at its source, she found a vaguely familiar face, beaten and bloody to the point that she almost didn't recognize its owner at first.

"Agent Clarke!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Vega...killed O'Connor...I suppose to....silence him." The Native Canadian was clearly in pain, but forced himself to continue. "The body's...down the hall a bit..."

"It's a miracle you're still alive then," she said, the shock of today not quite taking effect yet.

"That's...because he had.......a message." Agent Clarke said, going on. His dark hazel eyes met her face, a grim expression in them. "You're next."

-------------

Author's note: O.O Never believe me when I claim that I'll update soon. But this chapter was a long one, and I liked the way it flowed. Written out by hand in my notebook, bit by bit, then typed. I hope you enjoyed it. ^^ As always, please review and let me know what you thought. Particularly if you have any insight to offer on my characterizations...I tried to do that for Vega and Chun Li especially, so I'd like to know how successful I was. Keep in mind that my Vega muse is not a nice Vega muse that's got plans of being involved with anyone other than his reflection. ^_~ He's just mean and likes the art of 'stabby stabby kill kill'.


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